‘Company’ wins Tony for best musical revival after Sondheim’s death

An engrossing production of Stephen Sondheim’s classic “Company” that reversed the gender of the lead character and carried on its composer’s spirit after he died in November won the Tony Award for best musical revival on Sunday.

The production, which honored its extraordinary source material with an elaborate set and a magnetic supporting performance from Patti LuPone, was the final production Sondheim worked on before his death at age 91.

Marianne Elliott directed the production of the half-century-old musical, which arrived on Broadway for previews in March 2020 before coronavirus dropped a curtain on the Theater District.

“Company” finally opened in December at the Bernard Jacobs Theatre, where it continues to run. The production received nine Tony nominations across eight categories, including best direction of a musical.

Elliott’s choice to change the gender and tweak the name of the lead character, Bobbie (played by Katrina Lenk), helped keep the story fresh.

“Company” revolves around a New Yorker in their mid-30s who is under pressure from friends to find a partner, a situation perhaps more potently relatable for the modern 30-something woman than man.

With memorable tunes like “The Little Things You Do Together,” “You Could Drive a Person Crazy” and “Being Alive,” the original Broadway production won the best new musical Tony in 1971. Another remake won for best revival of a musical in 2007.

The latest “Company” beat out two other nominated shows, “The Music Man” and “Caroline, or Change,” in the best musical revival category.